This application claims benefit of Japanese Application No. 2000-314329 filed in Japan on Oct. 13, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated by this reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the structure of a printer conducting printing by discharging ink droplets from a plurality of nozzles.
2. Description of the Related Art
The so-called ink-jet printers conducting printing by discharging fine ink droplets from a plurality of nozzles, which have been employed as printers for consumer applications, are typically the printers of a head scanning type in which printing is conducted by scanning a head in the main scanning direction (paper width direction). Printer heads employed in such printers of a head scanning type comprise a plurality of nozzles aligned in the same direction as the auxiliary scanning direction (paper feed direction) or at an angle thereto, and the printing along the entire paper width is conducted by scanning such printer head in the main scanning direction.
Therefore, a paper feed mechanism and a scanning drive mechanism for scanning the printer head in the main scanning direction were required as the feed drive mechanisms, the drive mechanism unit had a complex structure, and a limitation was placed on possible increase in printing speed.
Accordingly, full-line ink-jet printers requiring no drive for a printer head in the main scanning direction apparently make it possible to simplify the drive mechanism unit and to increase the printing speed. The full-line ink-jet printers have a full-line head with a printing width equal to the paper width, and printing is conducted in one pass. Since printing is conducted simultaneously for each one line in the paper width direction, absolutely no head scanning is required and printing can be conducted line by line, while continuously or intermittently transporting the paper sheet in one direction.
The full-line ink-jet printers have a printer head for printing on the entire width of a paper sheet in one pass, but a recovery apparatus for ink discharge surface is required for constantly preventing clogging and maintaining a good state of ink discharge surfaces of nozzles in a plurality of channels.
However, because the number of nozzles in the conventional ink-jet printers of a full-line printing system was very large, the space taken by the discharge surface recovery apparatus was significant. Moreover, in order to clean reliably the entire ink discharge surface, a complex drive system should be employed. For those reasons, the size increase of the printers cannot be avoided and cost effectiveness thereof is degraded.
Moreover, the position of nozzles in the conventional inkjet printers of a full-line printing system has to be arranged accurately, but when a printer head is composed of several blocks, even simple arrangement of the printer head requires complex alignment, maintenance and control are difficult, and merchandizing is also difficult.
The present invention was created to resolve the above-described problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a printer for printing by discharging ink droplets from a plurality of nozzles, wherein the ink discharge surface is easily recovered, the recovery means has a simple structure, the increase in the printer size is avoided, the printer cost can be reduced, and the adjustment, maintenance, and control are easy to conduct.
The printer in accordance with the present invention, in which printing is conducted by discharging ink droplets from a plurality of nozzles, comprises a printer head which can conduct full-line printing on a printing paper, without scanning in the width direction of the printing paper, this printer head being provided with a plurality of nozzles, paper transportation means for transporting the printing paper in the transportation direction perpendicular to the width direction of the printing paper, this means having an endless transportation belt, supporting the printing paper, and being disposed opposite the ink discharge surface of the printer head, printing control means for conducting printing by controlling the discharge of fine ink droplets from the printer head synchronously with the printing paper transportation operation of paper transportation means, and recovery means for recovery of discharge function of nozzles of the printer head, this means being insertable and retractable with respect to the printer head in the lateral direction perpendicular to the transportation direction and parallel to the transportation surface of the transportation belt which supports the printing paper.
When recovery is conducted in the above-described printer, the discharge function of the nozzles is recovered by discharging the ink from the nozzles of the printer head in a state in which recovery means is inserted in the position opposite the printer head, or by causing suction of the ink with the recovery apparatus.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become evident from the following description.